Alumnus in the Spotlight: Tyler Collins

July 24, 2023

Tyler Collins (FIN, 2020) is an investment banking analyst with Truist Securities. He works in the Financial Risk Management group. His team helps clients manage their risk across three areas: interest rates, commodities, and foreign exchange. Tyler works directly with clients to devise and implement customized hedging structures that help mitigate risk in a way that allows them to continue to grow their business. Additionally, he keeps up to date with current events and the financial markets in order to write market commentary for clients. Tyler especially enjoys being able to take what is going on in the world and showing his clients how this impacts their businesses. Building from that, he takes a product that the client probably has never heard of and explain how the product can help manage the risk faced by the client’s business. Tyler sees this as the perfect mix between finance/economics while being able to make a difference for others.

Early on in his career, Tyler’s director and managing director both left to pursue different opportunities. At the time, no one was covering their territories, so, as the individual working with them, Tyler had to step up to keep deals going. This provided many opportunities for him, and Tyler learned a lot of things he normally would not have been exposed to so early in his career. While it was a lot of work and caused plenty of late nights, if Tyler had not had this experience, he would not be as far along in his career as he currently is.

Tyler greatly appreciates the hands-on approach to education provided by the Parker College. He says that Parker College successfully blends practical application with academic knowledge to give its students the best chance to succeed in the workplace. Tyler also praises Parker College’s student organizations for enabling members to develop career-specific skills that make them more competitive for internships and jobs. While at Georgia Southern, Tyler joined many different student organizations including Sigma Chi and the Student Investment Association (SIA). He credits SIA advisors Axel Grossmann, Ph.D., professor of finance, and John Hatem, Ph.D., professor of finance, with providing him professional experience he was unable to receive in the classroom. Tyler is also proud to have been a member of the inaugural cohort of Parker Scholars. He says that, even though the Parker Scholar strategic management class only met for three hours on Friday afternoons, he always looked forward to attending and listening to Dean Allen Amason, Ph.D., along with the other Parker Scholars. Tyler believes these two Parker organizations have had a lasting impact and have helped him get to where he is today.

While at Georgia Southern, Tyler wrote a letter to his future self and dated it five years from the time being written. When the five-year clock expired last November, he looked at who and where he wanted to be in life per the letter and realized he had accomplished all the goals he had set. In spite of the challenges and setbacks along the way, Tyler refused to let them keep him from succeeding. He says this is his proudest accomplishment to date.

Currently, Tyler is working to become a chartered financial analyst (CFA). He has already passed the Level 1 exam and is a candidate for Level 2. Holding a CFA charter will allow Tyler to continue building his professional knowledge while also developing a network of likeminded individuals. In addition to achieving this goal, Tyler wishes to expand his impact within Truist Securities and the bank as a whole.

Tyler spends much of his free time at his church where he leads a young professional community group and volunteers whenever he can. An avid golfer and sports fan, Tyler also enjoys attending Atlanta Braves and Georgia Southern football games.